To ease, remove and prevent your sciatica, you must address all the factors causing it. Sciatica is created by four main factors:

- tight muscles (especially your Piriformis muscle)
- weak muscles
- joint movement
- pelvic balance.

The tight muscles need to be stretched. Stretching effectively is the KEY, you need to know what to stretch, but knowing how and when to stretch are more important.

The goal of stretching is to ease muscles, stretching effectively means you can do this almost overnight. The main muscles to target are your Hip Flexors, Hamstrings and especially your Piriformis. But please do not stretch until you complete the first step below.

You must strengthen weak muscles, however before you exercise the muscle, you need to improve the nerve and blood supply to the muscles. If the supply is poor, exercise will not strengthen the muscle enough to remove pain.

A good nerve and blood supply also allows the muscle to maintain it’s structural support, which is needed for long term results to avoid low back pain.

Joints need to move freely, and you can learn some simple self adjusting techniques to accomplish this. Your pelvis is the most important factor. If your pelvis is out of balance, joints will slow in motion, muscles will tire and tighten. It is your pelvis that is the vital area to target to relieve sciatica pain.

Your sciatica pain relief specialist in Mid Michigan is Colestock Family Chiropractic in the Eaton Rapids community utilizing the Activator Method Technique. You can click on the “about us” link over in the right column or at the top for more information on hours and payment policies.

If you’ve ever experienced really painful lower back pain and you just can’t hold back a sneeze or a cough….hang on because you’re about to drop to your knees in pain.

That’s no exaggeration.

If your lower back hurts when sneezing, then the chances are the problem will be related to nerves as they emerge from a previous back injury or structural abnormality. The discs, which separate each of the backbones or vertebrae, can push out or prolapse, putting pressure on the spinal cord. Any sudden movement can cause pain, thus the lower back hurts when sneezing. Kind of like a really bad toothache that occurs when you bite down wrong and touch the nerve sending you into screaming mode.

Coughing and sneezing can take a toll on your sore low back. Rapid trunk flexion and forceful abdominal pressure, which are common during a violent coughing spell or sneeze, can actually herniate a weakened spinal disc. Positioning your back before you cough or sneeze may protect your back from pain and further injury.

Just before you cough or sneeze, lean back slightly while placing one hand behind your back for support. At the very moment you cough or sneeze, bend your knees slightly. Another way is to place your back against a wall or door jamb as a way to keep your back straight so it doesn’t lurch forward when you cough or sneeze. And sneeze or cough “upward” which relieves pressure on your lower spine and back.

A forceful cough or sneeze can cause low back pain to flare up. It can also put a weakened disc at risk of injury. Take a few seconds to position your back before coughing or sneezing.

Follow the advice of your doctor and therapist for best results.